El Chapo Guzman transferred this morning to Ciudad Juarez prison to await extradition

Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Proceso article

Subject Matter: Extradition of Joaquin Guzman Loera
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required

Reporter: Patricia Davila
Joaquin El Chapo Guzman will be housed in Cefereso No.9 while waiting to be sent to the United States, this country presented the Mexican Government with two extradition requests.

The morning of this Saturday, Joaquin Guzman Loera arrived at Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, on the frontier with the United States, where, for security protocols, he was transferred from "Alitplano, in the State of Mexico, to the Federal prison of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua

From 2am this morning, the Sinaloa Cartel leader can be found in the central penitentiary located at kilometer 33 of the Pan-American highway, confirmed sources of OADPRS.





Around 01:30 am, El Chapo Guzman arrive at the Ciudad Juarez Airport, under a strong guard of Sedena and the PGR, with the aim of transferring him to Cefereso 9, to be extradited to the United States.

The authorities arrived with the Capo in a jet plane, from which descended a person with only hands and feet visible, and was put into a Federal Police helicopter, that was waiting to carry him to the Federal prison.

One day before, 110 elements of Guards and Custodians arrived at Ciudad Juarez and were transferred to the prison.

They were sent by the Federation in a strategic operation to avoid any situation of risk in the transfer of Guzman Loera. The Mexican Government had maintained discretion about the transfer of the capo. It was only  at mid-day on Saturday when the National Commission for Security made it official

It appears that El Chapo has programmed a video conference, with a Judge in the municipality of Toluca that approved the transfer. El Chapos lawyers claim that the transfer is illegal.

Since the past week, the version is that Guzman Loera would be transferred to Ciudad Juarez, as part of the intelligence strategy that Secretary of the Government maintains. Since the month of January, when the narco trafficker was re-arrested, he has been guarded at "Alitplano" maximum security prison, where he has been guarded by elements of Sedena and the Federal Police.

At the prison they maintain a rota of 15 soldiers with two tanks, as well as patrols by 10 elements of the CNS, the commission for national security.

For his part, the United States authorities are preparing their Police escort for when the time comes to move him, when he is put at their disposition.

Unofficially, sources from the CNS confirmed the transfer of the narco trafficker for " Security Protocols". (Otis: other sources say that he has been moved due to security upgrades to the Atlipano prison).

Guzman Loera fled the security of the State of Mexico in July of 2015 via an underground tunnel constructed close to and under the installation. He was recaptured in January of 2016 and was sent back to the same Federal prison.

Original article in Spanish at Proceso